Editor’s Note: A Voice from 30 Years Ago

September, 2005

How far have we come over the past three decades? It seems some of the top-of-mind problems 30 years ago – at least to a middle-class kid in Hawaii – were pollution, inflation, energy, poverty and war. While I enjoyed looking at the world through the lens of a 10-year-old, when I reread this essay, which won first prize in the fifth-grade division of the East Manoa Lions Club essay contest in 1975, it also caused me to pause and think about where we may be going in the next 30 years and why we have some of the same, nagging problems.

We’re Concerned Too

Pollution is an old problem. Do you know how we kids helped? We picked up rubbish on the school grounds. We even planted plants. We made our school a very CLEAN, cheerful place to go to.

Our school has JPOs who care to make the school safe for other children.

We kids don’t only care about school problems.

Some people say the Russians started inflation by buying a lot of wheat cheap and leaving the U.S. with only a little. Other people have other ideas. No matter what started inflation, we’re stuck with it now! We can help ourselves by conserving gas, electricity and other such things. Also, we can cut down on going to movies, restaurants, plane trips plus other things, which use money and are done just for enjoyment. We should do more activities like going to a beach, a park, the zoo and going hiking. What about low-income families? They’re probably eating dog food like some people are doing because of inflation. The U.S. helps many suffering countries, but now, with inflation we’re suffering, too!

A short time ago, many kids and adults alike were lost or killed while trying to get away from South Vietnam. The U.S. sent boats to help evacuate the people. Many children were orphaned. We can help by donating things and money. Adults could even adopt an orphan. After all, we kids would feel awful if we were in an orphan’s place. War tears up family situations. It kills many male members. What if your father was killed? Wouldn’t you care?